THE UNIVERSE dade AMAZING ANIMAL EYES ANIMAL EYES, ,“If you own an iPhone, this is the Finally, 1800 mAh in a pocket-sized backup battery! bby Richard T Large 1800 mh capacity charges the iPhone completely te fl in about 60 minutes with more power ltt over. ‘Just snap it on — no cable required! Fits with every case. 110-240 AG weall charger included for fest eneraing. You can use theiPhone whi charging it, andyou ean charge the FicharcSole 1200 and iPhone tagethar at the same time, charger ~ tke geting tivo exra charges for ree! USB dua-port car charger wil charge the RlcnardSoo 1800 {ures a bultin laser pointer, and super bright LED tlash lint For Phone, sturdy support brace holds iPhone and Richa Solo 1800 securely together. And, this the only snap-on bettery ovailable with en actus! Intching mechanism for iPhone. to keep the RichardSolo 1800 and iPhone frmly Luthivmionbatery takes upto 600.charges. Three LED lights indieste oharge statue. Certified for ;Phone 26/96, and all IPod madels except snurte Your satistaction is completely guaranteed, with a 30-doy. roshagse return priviege, and @ 90-day warranty. You wil be sbaclutly delighted. That fs my promise to you, and you an dapend on it Order now for tree USA and Canada shipping: RSOOI tor ProneiPod $69.05 Order two of the same, and save 15% — TUAW.com We are here to support you! ‘Actual customer comments: ‘To nave you ane your comeany est auch excectonal Reviewers give it top mark = Chris.Pirllo.com = Froo dual-pert USB car enarger Fras AC wall charger sae: Free retractable USB. ‘charging cable. 72 Included suppert brace Richard| Solo” (Orne ordering and biog reviews www.RichardSolo.com ‘emai: sypport@FichardSol0.com ey coder SIMO20109Universe? SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED, = 5 How centuries of science are unraveling the age-old mysteries of the universe “The past decade has seen a historic é hh surge in skyscraper Wepice heskecoposotthetuue ane || construction that the technology that will make them posible surpasses the previous great boom in the number, locations and size of new buildings.” »36 Stunning images of sea tugs that raded thei Treasures protective shell for more dramatic defenses. sit J ‘Thousands of artifacts from alitle-known river reveal a waterway’s buried secrets Alookat the evolution of animal vston—and some ofthe coolest peepers found in nature. Europes new satelite is polsed to revolutionize our knowledge of Earths gravitational fel. How tiny particles will soon deliver cancer drugs, heal broken bones, and more. MARCH/APRIL 2009. SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM | 1Letters Trivia Countdown Brain Trainers 2 | SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM_ MARCH/APRIL 2000One day, his son would speak to the world. He wanted them to understand. | Rosetta Stone. The fastest and Arabic + Chinese (Mandarin) « Danish « Dutch « English (American) » English (British) « French » German « Greek + Hebrew + Hindi Indonesian + Italian Irish + Japanese + Korean « Latin» Pashto + Persian (Farsi) + Polish * Portuguese (Brazil) « Russian ‘Spanish (Latin America) * Spanish (Spain) * Swahili » Swedish * Tagalog (Filipino) + Thai + Turkish + Vietnamese » Welsh Stone: brings home, in-the- transtation to learn mor 1.2 complele language-leamning solution, (oul learn quickly and ef F our rethod, which ke herever you tively, without 8 you excited + Youll experience Dynamic Immersion’ as you match real-world images to words by native speakers so you'l find yourself engaged and learn your second language like you leamed your fist. * Our proprietary Speech R coaches you on more acy ognition Technology evaluates your speech and te pronunciation. Youll speak naturally * Only Rosetta Stone has Adaptive Recall; that brings back material to help you where you need it most, for more effective progress. * And Rosetta St ludes Audio Companion: so that you can take the Rosetta Stone experience anywhere you use 2 CD or MP3 player. 100% GUARANTEED iT EY-BAC Level -Ree-$259 NOW $233 Level 1&2 -Reg-$489 NOW $377 Level 1.263 Req-$549 NOW $494 software. Immersive methad. Complete mobily, It’s the total solution ‘Stone—The Fastest Way to Learn a Language. Guaranteed: Call (877) 270-5287 RosettaStone.com/sws039 Use promotional code sws039 when ordering. RosettaStone 3. Orfer expires Juy 31, 2008. |a ve wnt wi SCIENC BBO YAN G3) Good Development T enjoyed the anthropology special in your recent issue ["How Did Humans Develop?” Januaryifcbru ary, in particular where you dispel ‘the myth that humans evolved from, {modern} apes. It is sad that evolu tion is stil so widely misunderstood, butartices like yours—presented with a clear timeline of discoveries, dating techniques and migrations — shed great light on our quest to examine our origins. Well done. 1 can't wait for part two. Heather Archuletta Georgetown, Tex. One Person's Trash Power” [Nov Dec] mentions that n- like Lake Kivw's meth When a slave attempted to escape, he or she left a tral of closed plants, The slaves were thus easily found and punished Eric Wagner Derwer 2 its carbon dioxide is not considered useful, The answer to this CO, problem can be found in this sume issue, in “Good Greenhouse Gas” [Sci ‘which deseribes a new process to convert CO, into a fuel called syngas, hope all concemed are reading your ‘excellent magazine cover to cover. TimShay Muscatine, lowe ce Update") Penny-Pinching Although | appreciated your ar- tile on the large Hadron Colder “Smashing Axioms” |Septemberi Octane 20081 don understand the point made by the author about rmarvelingat the wonders of science ‘without having “our hands clasped EDS: Thankyou! This month, check out the second article in ournew series “Answering the Biggest Que Sclenceyon page 44 tightly around our wallets.” Govern: ‘ments have spent billions to create 0 this scientific marvel. What is the Denefit of chiding supporters for be- ing tightfisted when those support Planted Evidence 1a introduced tothe Minasa pica, or humble plant, in “How do plants move” [As Us," Novem berDecember 2008] on a tour of Jamaica. The nastic movements are amazing. butte evil genius use of the plant gave me cls, Inthe slave days of jamaica, the planatlons ‘were surrounded by mos pants 4 SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM 1HARCH/APRIL 2009, Lucy belongs tothe sp pithecus aft Auswolopihecusat ers are monumentally supportive? Brad Davis Damascus, Ore Correction 1 How Did Humans Devon's wesitedth eb, ne famed foss skeleton ae _SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED Editor-in-Chief Mark onnot Deputy Eero ar Setar soda ator emir At SSenetaitor athe acon Estorol Production ManagerFlica Pao jem carey Nese Dyer seth ene ie any Dsomtoer {ontuting Art rector Pack Aberson Ghote tater brain ven Dig Conent er Hgur Miler {ContibingMathematicon Hanae Entre ness bh pe Bde eget Senden ie sen foomarhten Oe hein ent intr eden Group Publisher Gregg &.Hano ‘Associate Publeher Advertsing Wer. Barger Eeatv estat Center se ‘aretingDrctr eae ‘ca reidene Compote Soler ond akong Pat Mehaky Northeast Adverting Ofer hs Desoctea12 979 5123, CGvastoung 22775510 uy ourg 2765090 Mest Aversing Ofc: Managers Warsat S73 22 238 Novag trate 8on3e ‘Sintra Advertsing Of l iancs'5496 2700 Souther Regions Advertsing Otfce Direct Response Sales RyandeLorge 2127795168 Dig Sls Development Managem lee SnesDevelopment Managers fr Lsin sens Sth reste Sarees Deter eorse Promotions anager on sy Senamer hating werk New Busnes Mangers sobb09 | Retenon Manager ere ‘Sai Copy Sls Decor vest inony anager anata Producton anager Dons ‘roup Prodton Secor srt Kunde Drapes Manager losin Soxvct ust DENMARK Eton Chet are eaten ‘arene sn dagger beth ranch eter Ebere BONNIER hit Erecave Ofer ery So {het Opereting fee Dar aman ‘ee Presdere Huran Revoarer thy era Carports Counseaciemymompecn ScetruusranDipublaned unde ans sree ith Forcisiomer seve plese mal vs atscencluatbes UGE plese sn 97068 you we Comer sereCU me cee RUC RCC R CML ld Just discovered hoard of U.S. $10 Gold erty Coins Now Available Our buyers just discovered one of the most significant Don't Miss European Bank hoards of U.S. gold in years. They This Opportunity: secured 1769 magieat US. gold cons gl Order Now! guaranteed to be over 100 years old. The On & once ar fae rg om 1865 th gan Presid aaineiteches sharply risen (0 over 50 mil 1907 tha uniquely represent he Ba ey lon sods, you may never history of our nation in fine gold get second chance to take Uni ulated Gold Coins from the Past are Timeless Treasures advan ge ofthis oppor nity, Order now while ‘our limited supplies last Buy more and save! Due Each of these $10 Gold to our limited. supply of Liberty coins is certified in these coins, we must issue a Uncirculated Condition, As gold strict limit of 10 coins per values have soared with unpre customer. Why pay $849 or dictable ol prices and the falling dolla, ‘more for similar coins Prices and you may never again have the opportunity orders subject to availability, so call to own these gold coins at this price today. Your satisfaction is assured by our With the falling dollar, demand for these coins srounlergeronecioe day money-back rane continues to escalate as collectors and investors scramble to scoop up US. gold coins for thei Order More & Save pure gold content and scarcity Certified genuine uncirculated US. gold coins have historical and numismatic value 2 Enetp een $795 S1SSBH $810 that bullion gold cannot match, making these 3 Liberty Coins $779: FREE) (32057 * 5 Livery Coins max $749 FREE! $3,745 Cera 1-800-585-9240...... Naa ESA ae MN SED Ree re ceeEL mea Tex Met eue tet Ee iui ec ee hidden under aslip of yellow paper. Ferrofluidsare usedin a number of Geen sce tetoie te caer reed computer disk drives from impurities. They consist of highly magnetic iron Rime Mau te ter ae ay react with one another, suspendedin a liquid such as the oll used here. The particles in this ferrofluid are magnetite, an iron-oxide mineral. Felice Frankel, a research scientistat Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, arranged the magnets symmetrically to pull the Cr eR esc Seite ea es cue é Dee a cEPee Son me ey‘Venture Business Laboratory in Japan, weighs less than many drivers. }its name is an amalgam of the structural material bamboo and Se OCR ee cee ee ey culture and advanced technology. Handwoven from 900 thin strips by a local ee tae ee ere De ee aes aru ich Re eg ee De cu ee eu augue s motorists, who rep along on their typically short journeys onthe crowded Eee Lu Su oun ityee Cs Se UU ue U Se Ce ee uC Te Chiasmodon niger, or black swallower, off the coast of Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean Sea in 2007, floating dead from a ruptured stomach. Although ‘swallowers are known for their gluttony, often consuming whole bony fish longer than themselves, thisfailed attempt at a feast still surprised marine biologists worldwide. The seven-and-a-half-inch fish perished trying to eat asnake See a Le en te Cee ea eticDec et SoeEe aed(6) ees ee am Neuroscientist Andrew Barron dripsa cocaine solution onto the body of a Cau ee ee ene ee CUE Me ie CMe see Cue rune cn Ceci Uae Cee erie uss iketetas PLLC Lee Cee eet Sea cea aun er eu ue ere) Pree etna seu ep atee i ae ears UU ets Trae e ete SoyUNLIMITED Local & Long Distance Calling Per Montht Get UNLIMITED Local & Long Distance Calling for only $24.99/mot! TRY ONE MONTH See Detalls Below 1.888.584.9271ty > , ae Make Your Own Ethanol FEET sto pouring that et over wine down the drain. You could ela day—and do The EFueli00 first on Fuel 00 fe nodes afer thanol for as ltl as that or distil ting leftover beer, rot chink fuel vit sand restaurent ice, about the sizeof large cefigerator, should be available later this year for about $7,000 (after a federal rebate) Although the fuel Me cc: Mostnewcars can ‘run on65 percent ‘ethanol, 35 per- cent gasoline. PEST Archaeologistsnow say that whales were hunted as far back as 3000 years. ago, Researchesin the Russian actichave found 20-inch piece ofarvedivory depicting sailors harpooning whales. They used radio: carbon dating of wood excavated with theivory to determine sage Pea) rie pene] ed ery reed Goan Ce eed ee Ice Moves Around on Mars GOURD ue eee ote Coe ete Cee ae en eit Ree ren ogee a eet aa eee en can See SEU cea Cree eerie ee ee emer s See etre eee ed Pee eer Cee ceed hits the polar ice caps, melting them. The resulting water vapor reenters the atmo- Pe nee eee cee eas eet ee eee Pe ae as ‘amassed around volcanoes and craters— et een] Deer Lee eee UT CUR Ld Pee eee ve out of reach of Oe ee ed een ar on ae ron ~ rar a eer Pore) Paes er ee teenth ] Maroy Succi linet hepirgi Sec Beets MI Pccncanlnietas fetes sarap paint thar at the en ots Ca et aalcecaps eed alsaAscientist examines ABetterWayto = =< Image Mummies New software for MRI scans on the dead may also help doctors diagnose living patients EEEEINTIETSY scientists have scanned German-based Siernens MedicalSolutions, cerebral membrane and even residue fom mummiesusing computed tomography _usesa quickersignakdetection process _embalring fluid can be seen on scan (Nand conventional but new soft- called Ultrashort Echo Time. Researchers say the technology may soon ware for magneticresonance imaging (MA) _‘Scientissat the University ofZurichin help to examine heart processes that have coffers betterlookinto ancientremains, Switzerland recently used the softwareto _previouslybeen hidden, as well as brain Current technology is far fom ideal, successfully examine mummies from Eaypt changesin Alzheimer’s patients that trode (CTsscannerscarit create clearimages of and Peru Forthe first time, blood vessels, tional MR is not quick enough to catch, soft tissues, and MRI machines depend on trydrogen atoms in water which desie: cated mummies lack Scientists have had Ere) torehyerate the mummies for MRI scans the Peruvian mummy ‘a precarious task that can damage fragile forMAl scanning. remains, But now, mummies dorit need 10 ‘get wet to get scanned. MRI scanners dont take measure ments fst enough to pick up a signal from the few hydrogen atoms in dry tissue, But the breakthrough software, developed by Inthis cross-section ofa mummy's chest, the gold arrows point tory tissue that ‘an ordinary MRIscan can‘tpickup. Rethinking the “Gay Gene” Trhaelgts recent fend Bas ee Virissass” diye iececles ak tia sateen oe ‘an800-yearoldAztecpyramidinsdea Fadua Italy have previously shownthat located onthe X chromosome may increase | lamgerwellnown pyramidin ental female elatives of ay men have 3 percent sexual attraction toward men in both miles lexico ity Tisindcatesthat the mote children on average than wornen nd females.In women, this woud theoret- J Aztecsmusthavesetted the valley of without gay male teatives, Now thesesame _callyinerease the odds f reproducing tt may ff Mexicobetween 1100and 1200—a mists Shown the correlation nao explain the question of how "gay ge century eae thanhad been belived female elatves of sexual men. 1 possed down though generatio 16 | SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM MARCH/APRIL 2009,AYLOR MADE FOR YOU. Who do you love? Whether it’s James Taylor or James Brown, John Coltrane or Radiohead, just tell us a favorite artist or two. We'll create a custom list of albums we're sure you'll love. eMusic uses smart software and friendly music experts creating what we like to think of as the internet’s corner record store. DOWNLOAD 25 FREE SONGS + 1 FREE AUDIOBOOK ae Fla ATMs NEU noe. men cae ee UD Pain Eee?ATreasure Trove Scientists find millions of starfish cousins living amid strong currents ‘The summits ofunderwater _1Binches across, have five long arms mountains and volcanoes, called sea-__radiating from around body. They use ‘mounts, are typically the lair of corals __these spike-lined arms to snare pass ‘and sponges. But one seamounton the ing bits of food. The shallow depth of Macquarie Ridge, south of New Zealand, this particular mount near Antarctica, ishome to an abundance ofa different dubbed Brittle Star City, coupled with, life form: britle stars. A team of marine a swift current carying food, appears scientists from the intemational group _tohave created a perfect environment Census of Marine Life have discovered for brittle stars, Genetic testing will tens of millions ofthe starish-likecrea-_revealifthisis a genetically distinct tures 295 feet beneath the surface—the group from other brittle stars that live in firsttime these echinodermshavebeen the waters around Japan and the UK, found on a seamount rather than on the among other places. The scientists also ‘ocean floorat much greater depths. _hope their discovery will ead to further Britle stars, which can reach upto research on rarely studied seamounts. of holes cut into paper. Better Golfers See Bigger Holes ESET the holes in golfcourses inches in diary rcelve the Purdue University he ize ofa standard hole b set cut ina sheet of p sample holes ranged fro hey found that thase who guested higher tend to play better than thase who thought the hole was small Research is under way todetermine why perceiving the hole as bigger may improve putting, One theory Cee ed the cause could bea functional ink between Rea aN aa ered and perceptual system " Found: the World's Tiniest Snake ESD Blair Hedges, ane olutionary fogjst at Penn State University, has found the worlds smallest snake in a forest on the land of Barbados ir the Lesser Antes. Leproryphlops carlae,a member of a group called thread: snakes is as thick as spaghett and about fout inches lng. The reptile, which isjustbig enough olay one egg, atthe minimum size limit for reproductive success fora snake, according to researchers, 18 | SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM MARCH/APRIL 2009De ee eee Pee ats Bug Bites Forecast Warming A pine-beetle epidemic that is curently killing tees throughout the tern US. isnot without precedent: A sudden warring periad $5 mili spurred an infestation of insects that feasted s recent research by Elen CCuttano, a geoscience graduate student at Penn State University who examined 5062 | fessilleaves from th Thermal Maximum warring period. During more tha thattime, temperatures rose nine degrees, a magnitude similarto that nd forthe current warming, How Earth pre Regulates CO, secimentanalyssis providing the ist solid evidence forthe commonly held theory that Earth’ atmospheric carbon dioxide has been regulated by a natural feedback system for milions of years. The process, however, may be no match fo ‘man-made CO, emissions, researchers say Natural sources, such as volcanic activity and hydrothermal vents, regularly ump carbon dioxide into th sphere. Scientists have theor in atmospheric CO, causes an increase in the chemical reactions that break down slate minerals in the Earths cust. These Young: Spider Man Science Update Zoologists at East Carolina University have named anew spider species ‘Myrmekiaphila neilyoungiin honor of musician Neil Young. The arachnid, discovered in Alabama in 2007, belongs toa species called trap-door spiders, which live in narrow, silk-lined tunnels underground. The entran- cesto their tunnels are protected by a layer of silk that opens like a trap doorto snare prey. Ironically, the scientists singled out Young both for his ‘music and his activism for "peace and justice.” ce-core samples ilustrate natural C0, regulation. ium ions, primarily reams and rivers wash the calcium into the ocean, where marine animals ike mollusks, coral, sea urchins and plankton combine it with carbon to make the calcium carbonate in their shells and skeletons, helping to balance the amount (FCO, in the atmosphere. ast year, geologists atthe University of 4awallat Manoa and the Carnegie Insti tion in Washington, DC, created a model ‘of ocean chemistry, which they used 10 integrate two very diferent types of data: ‘observations of CO, trapped inthe tiny bubbles in Antarctic ice cores dating back 610,000 yeas and calclurm-carbonate sedi: ‘ments that had accumulated in the ocean, “The resulting mode! showed the feedback at work—CDO, levels were stable, varying between just 1 and 2 percent over time, This indicated a near-perfect balance between natural CO, emissions and carbon ‘uptake by marine if. Thess Lp with today’s emissions, though. In the [past 200 years, the average man-made Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen 14,000 times as fast as the average of the past 610,000 years, em may not be able to kee MARCH /APRIL2009. SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM | 1914 Day Money Back GUARANTEE Please che ck our website for details SELECT) NEXSTAR SKYSCOUT 130 SLT i kg bl ra 1 oe 120mm (5:1) dameter ‘pe, SiGe! prsra plantain ‘Pay Newnan Rete Rs he kowedge an expert empha | Tescope wih Motonced eo caerebes pcan Atari Mert 840006 a _ coe Earones Hand Sap, USB Cale Conoect abe EF bjt Database | ome ootrsineg @ meaoe, @ MEADE @ =Canon MYSKY HAND-HELD \ a SP 10x 301s DS-2090MAK - AUDIO/VIDEO SKY Ge Fuly Goto wesoope. GUIDE WITH GPS is orboarscamputer inns he The Meade mySKY an right by easytouse mu mada devo 60" dag View, USA ‘hat wl guide you trough the right ky beter than f you had your oon priate astronomer standing net o you ‘tera shor aignment procedure, your telescope wl be ready to take you onatourol he universe recon WRB603/BOXS Emergency Public ‘Alert Rado With Weather Station With Charging Cradle Scselpnctihchni Costar ah GARMIN. EDGE 305 (PS Erle Por Taa ar Oj Compur wth Het ptt et ne oe Bushnell x Yardage Pro 7 x 26 Pinseeker 1500 Laser Rangefinder for Golf Kit Bite Laser angen Case Buse 3 Wt LED Pash, 100LuTen Ovo, EPIX DIGITAL Zoom Buin Dg Caron, 100 Prieestorpheteay TED mumrates 8 USB mace Moomze winged Came ‘customer Relations: 800-815-0702 » 212-741-0466) Mon-Thu. 9-430, Fr 9-1, EST FAX 212-483-7223, BIOLOGICAL MICROSCOPE * Dovblt eld atene ans + Super Spectra Coating + Cosest focusing distance of 42 meters!13.8 + Rounded desig fr hotng comfort SOLARIS 12 WATT FOLDABLE SOLAR ARRAY Te ex gener of Sas bles ralogy share. The Seas 12a Be mos caren tras n sone C1 aco mases eterance wie oping porabily. Brunton SOLARIS 26 WATT FOLDABLE SOLAR ARRAY Te nex genre of Sis tesla techy here. 65th most fick thn in street aaitia, Nikon NATURESCOPE CHRETSELECP STAPH 1S70 lag pata oan orbloe. Unique osu, tread eavos, restate pce Brunton Fone 2 Me Fil Serco Meroe on & © STORE: 212-675-6789 HOURS: Mon.-Thurs. 9:30 Frito 1:00 « Sun. 9:30-5:20Engineer Gives Maimed Eagle a Facelift 7 in he frm responsible or constructing the bird new beak, ut the eagle at a talk aiven by ane Fink Cantwell a ind Be Workers ata wildlife refuge hand-fed seven-year-old Beauty for three years. Thanks toanew artificial beak, she can once again feed herself, Thestrength intons of awhite shark's bite, arecordamongallanimals, ac- cording toresearchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Ahu- ‘man biteis about 175 pounds strong. Reena AEM) EAE LCA Sas) ke as eee the ground DL ee Ea erie tae MARCH /APRIL2009 SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM | 21, reer America: Eagle Coin Ea agle Ce ene YOUR SOURCE FOR UNITED STATES PRECIOUS METALS Eagle Coin pricing an availability) Imperial r www. eBepisielithistesn com Currencyceo ie Perey Corer) Dea cere peered socold? aed Pear ary Ceca bruise more a separa easily than men? bY How long Pleura ies space dog survive? See WHICH ARETHE WORLD'S MOST POISONOUS SPIDERS?How long ago did the Dead Sea“die”? Roughly 10,000 years 290 TeDead level. Soentists say s le probably continu hat the water level wil Ye despite tsname, the Dead Sea ed halophilic inthe East African erola chemical compound that raises the sa that rose 700 feet above its present than higher saltcontent osmotic pressure inside the alaze's cell at 40 percent keeping the salt from breaching them. about Cone ee ety Peers ssble for one person to detect fe and odor of the other persons mouth, 24 | SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM MARCH/APRIL 2008The Gotthard Base Tunnel through the Alps isstraighter, thanks tonew technology. Why are old Pru Cy sowinding? Until recently, engine Ee en co Deacon’ SoD acy fica oT pees ae eae hich the other planets cr rams poe Could Neptune and Pluto collide?What's the difference between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons? eho Riarreian aaa gs Cee a ce) ees by Saladin reconquered the city. But scurd iisiniusientte tegeupcnmesosinmenses fi How do hot peratonal eee et ce pete ee eer roan ia Prarie packs work? sion between the two aroupsis that eter ae KightsTemplaristhe name an order The fst Freemasons werett ight eee Bere ee cee See eae ce eee Ce et a a ee ee eee) ete ere eee re Ce a ce eee ee Perec Pee Holy Lan the Crusaders 20 yeas erty eee eaten tt tet er keen be ‘One of he most common symbols of Freemasonry i the square {and compass, which are architectural tools The symbol appears ‘both with and without the" which stands for God. The knights wore white mantles adomed with are cross. The ite represented chastity the ed cross the knights willingness t0 become martyrsin defense ofthe Holy Land break down and leak, bu bed additive ASKUS TA “ Ifweansweritinanissue, well 3 t ¢ give you this cool Tshirt. & E-mail your questions to: = Doe eC ed eS ue ee 5‘mythical creatures In Mesopotamian artwork, In Europe, the may have been based on realy. unicorn myth was based on the writings ofthe isnormally depicted asa white horselke Greek physcian and historlan Cresas, imal witha long, twisted horn emerg who in 400 BC. fist described unico ing from its forehead. Historians say the being about the size ofa donkey, wid insp lightning-fast, strong and impossible to rom the Indian rhinoceros or the o take alive. He also wrote that they have The oryxmay have been the true 1 Arabian antelope, which resemble: single long hom with great power and inspiration for the unicorn. ‘arse and has two long, staight hom: that people who drink from a cup mad Seeing a thino or oryx from the side, you from the hom are protected against con oneyasa remedy for polsoning and might think that it had only one forchead-_vulsions, epilepsy and poison, tence. But around 1638, Dani mounted horn Depictions of unicorns were popular naturalist Ole Wore J that thes Inicoms are mentioned in ancient In- in the Middle Agesin Europe. And long, long hams came from narwhals a type: dion and Chinese myths and are portrayed twisted hors were sod for lorge sums fale, not unicorn: ‘Warmth from the ocean currents around it increases the Located on a large frozen landmass, at an alttude of over alrtemperature, so that its average annual low is—3°F 91000 fee, its average annual low temperature is ~€ the S low for the South P with -3" at the North Fale, And the lowes ‘ecotded at the South Pole is ~117°, while t North Pole? is-61",compared Add tothat the fact that the South Pole ison Antarctica, h Pole colder than smperature ever mountainaus continent covered with ce that in sorne areas ord lowat the more than two miles thick The North Pole, however is located in North Pole is 59°. There are several easons for the disparity. the center of the Artic Ocean in a constantly moving sea of Tr ght, lower alr pressure alone means decreased te ‘uth Pole hasan elevation of over 9000 feet. Atti Heat rising ftom the ocean curents beneath it esultin higher MARCH/APRIL2009 SCIENCEILLUSTRATED.COM | 27Ce tae 30,000 facets help dragonflies see er eee es POS Sey ey a Ug Ra heFrom simple cell clusters to organs ss ilar doko) olaaaig Lore ES) (oot Elak=circle)cel lael av window into Linea AALS and evolution Da cmeishermen on a trawler from New Zealand hauled in an unexpected catch off the coast of Antarctica in February 2007: a colossal squid weighing more than 1,000 pounds, Astounded by this rare find—few colossal squid, not to be confused with smaller giant squi the fisher have ever been captured men scooped up the squid in a net brought it onboard, and froze it in a lock of ice Their chance discovery proved to be the best:preserved specimen ever Drought back to port. Trwas taken to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the national n ‘Wellington, for study. Even before the squid was thawed, scientists could sec the world’s largest eyes staring up at them through the ice. Measuring nearly 11 inches in diameter, each eye was The Evolution of Vision 30 | ScieNcenA' about the size of a soccer ball Unreal as that may sound, it makes perfect sense squid lives some 3,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, where itis too dark for most animals to see anything, But the squid’s eyes are well suited t0 its environment, Its pupils are 3.5 inches in diameter, allowing it to collect even the faintest light and thus spot prey, predators (mainly sperm whales) and other squids in the darkness. Other species have developed differ ent types of eyes depending and how they live. What's cle all these variations, though, is chat the ability to see has been a key factor in determining which species thrive and which ones perish. Fo ‘on where from, hundreds of millions of years, animals have been locked in a fierce competition to develop better vision, Pigment cls Eyespots Earthworms are among those animals that are limited to light-detecting cells spread around their bodies that can pickup changes in brightness. But cer- tain worms and mollusks o one step further with eyespots, the simplest and ‘most primitive form of vision, which ‘evolved more than 600 milion years. ago. These animals have eyespots con- sisting of a single photoreceptor cll and a surrounding pigment cell that can ‘detect the direction of light but provide no spatial vision, The Origin of Eyes The first light-sensitive cells appeared in the animal kingdom more than half 4 billion years ago, say Todd Oakley and David Plachetzki of the University of California at Santa Barbara, In 2007 the biologists searched the genomes of hydras and sponges, two simple ancient sea creatures, looking for a codes fora light-sensitive protein called opsin—the foundation of vision. They found the gene in hydras but notin th ‘more primitive sponges, whieh indi cated that the gene arose by mutation before hydras emerged, more than 600 ne that million years ago. Vision began humbly, with photo- receptors, opsin-containing clusters of cells, Photoreceptors detect light when it strikes the photosensitive pigments, or photopigments, in opsin, tiggering biochemical reactions that produce Surface cls oot Pigment Cup Eyes Biologists believe that early in ‘evolution, eyespots grew inward to {orm cup-shaped structures in which light strikes inividual pigment cells atdifferent angles Some flatworms ‘and primitive sails use such eyes to de- tect the shadows of predators and toor- cent themselves.an electrical signal. The earliest “eyes” ‘were small patches of photoreceptors on the surface of multicelled animals, Today some mollusks still have such patches, known as eyespots. They don’t resemble eyes as we know them Dut look more like clusters of sensing cells, such as taste buds on the tongue Despite their primitive construction, ceyespots can register information about light conditions and thus allow animals to tell ifit is day or night and to either seek sunlight or avoid it The Evolution of Sight For tens of millions of years, vision was limited to this basic ability to tell dark from light. This changed more than 530 million years ago during the socalled Cambrian explosion, when ma ‘mals’ ancestors first appeared, Scientists hypothesize that intense competition Perey | | » is yr Pinhole Eye Overtime the cup became a deep chamber. As the opening tothe cham ber became narrower, the pinhole ‘eye developed. Tis type of eye can pro- vide coarse images allowing an animal todiscer the shape of objects. The op tic nerve, which transports nerve impule ‘es converted from ight energy to the brain, aso frst appeared inthis type of ‘eye, now found only inthe nautilus. A scientist displays the extracted lens of a colossal squid, which has the largest eyes of any animal. na live quid, the lensis about the size ofan orange. Pe Gastropod Mollusk Camera Eye Eventually the chamber opening closed ‘over with transparent els, which helped to prevent eye infections creating a lens that focuses light ont the retina The layer of photoreceptor cells evolved into ‘the retina, which convert visible light into information thats sent to the brain ‘to form an image. Some gastropods such _as advanced species of marine snails ‘have this type of eye, which provides the ability to see more clear through water. Cephalopod Mollusk Camera Eye ‘The ens evolved into a refractive lens that could change shape to focus many rays of light onto one spot onthe retina. Cephalopods suchas eutlefish, squid and octopuses have eyes that are similar to those of vertebrates ike humans. n cephalopods, however, the tetina’s photopigment-bearing regions face toward the light; in vertebrates, they face away fromit.ETUC Ce ee aa Od) mammals and insects are ee Peed ee a Ree) Se ete Cee ets See cue enc ad eee! ee Say ee ey ee eee et eee theireyes wrap around theicheads, and some can detect far - “ t ' Al 4 Pee ee et ie Peotes at ee ee Se eT eet eee eta ee ec Aree Seen De ee eed See eee have eyes with up to 30,000 facet pointing in all directions. Even while See Ea eae eee ‘The mammalian eye uses a cornea, pupil lens and vitreous humor liquid that holds the lensin place) to.quide light to the retina at the back ofthe ‘chamber. In the human eye light en. ters through the pupil and is focused ‘on the retina by a flexible refractive lens. The retina contains three types of light sensitive cells: rods, cones and re tinal ganglion cells Rods and cones de- tectbrightness and color, respectively Ganglion cels adjust the body ci